Unknown Passages
by Perpetual Dreams
Summary: When Masaomi Kida is assigned to do a project on Arabia, strange occurrences began to happen to him. Then again, this was Ikebukuro so these happenings shouldn't be out of the norm, right? Yet, why does reading these passages on 'dungeons' and 'Rukh' incite such nostalgic rushes from the former leader of the Yellow Scarves? A relatively AU one-shot.


**A/N: **Here we go with my sporadic updates again. And it's a crossover fic! No way!

Well I've been watching Magi lately. When I first saw Alibaba, I thought he was voiced by the same voice actor as Kida from Durarara. Kida and Alibaba are also both blonde and they act sort of similar! So my mind began to work and I wondered, 'what if Kida is somehow Alibaba's reincarnation?' And that is how this fanfic came into fruition.

I hope you will enjoy this read! ^^

* * *

Unknown Passages

"Masaomi Kida."

The teen in question glanced up towards the front of the classroom with disinterest, settling his gaze on his teacher, who was holding a clipboard. Kida's head was currently being propped up by his hand and he was slightly slouched against his seat.

"You will be writing a research paper on the history of Arabia," the instructor intoned, scribbling away on the paper the clipboard steadied.

"Sure thing, sensei," Kida waved his free hand in response, barely holding back a slight yawn. He watched the teacher walk past his desk, continuing to assign places to the rest of his classmates, before looking down at the paper that was on his desk.

Kida hadn't been paying attention in class lately, though this wasn't all too much of a surprise. He was growing preoccupied with the mysterious, colorless gang known as the Dollars. On top of it all, his old gang, the Yellow Scarves, had been attempting to reel the blonde back to his leadership post. As a result of all of this preoccupation, Kida's grades had been slipping.

Maybe researching for this project will help keep his mind off of these current events, and possibly even boost his grade?

With a slight sigh, Kida looked towards the clock, wishing that dismissal could arrive faster. He might as well begin searching for reference materials after school and get this project done with, and talk to his two friends. The blonde idly wondered when Mikado and Anri would finally stop skirting around each other before he shook that thought away, turning his attention back to the teacher, who had stepped to the front again. The former leader of the Yellow Scarves had other priorities to sort out, after all.

* * *

"Um, Sonohara-san? D-do you think that maybe we could…er…stroll around the park, if you're not busy?"

Kida watched on from his current position, his two eyebrows up to his hairline. He made no move to reveal himself, opting instead to see how Mikado's proposition will go. Anri lowered her gaze before finally glancing away from the male.

"Sorry Mikado-kun but I'm a little busy today."

"O-oh. Next time perhaps?"

"Maybe…"

Kida swiftly strode forward between Sonohara Anri and Ryugamine Mikado, slinging both of his arms over their shoulders, breaking the awkward atmosphere. "Mikado and ero-ero Anri-chan!" he cheerfully greeted, accidentally causing his two friends to stumble forward slightly, as they were caught unprepared by the additional weight, "what are you two doing without me, hm?"

"Nothing, Masaomi-kun!" Mikado hastily responded, regaining his equilibrium, "and you really shouldn't call Sonohara-san that!"

Kida sighed dramatically, beginning to walk ahead, dragging the other two alongside of him. "But Anri-chan is really ero, don't you think, Mikado?"

"Masaomi!"

"You didn't deny it!"

"But it's not true! Stop calling Sonohara-san that!"

Anri blinked behind her glasses, watching the two males' interactions with a soft smile. It soon faded when she looked ahead. "I'm sorry but I'm going home now," she suddenly spoke up. Kida, who had put Mikado into a headlock, glanced over at the female, blinking. Mikado looked up as much as he could while he was in that position, nearly throwing Kida's arms off of him.

"S-should I accompany you, Sonohara-san? It's dangerous to walk on your own…"

A slight smile returned to Anri's lips, touched by the concern. "No, I will be alright, Ryugamine-kun. Thank you for the offer, though." She stepped away from the two males and began to walk off. "Good night Ryugamine-kun, Kida-kun."

"O-oh…bye!" Mikado raised a hand in farewell before turning to look at Kida. "What are you going to do, Masaomi-kun?"

The blonde put his arms behind his head, glancing upwards. "Normally, I would go find some women so I can be their knight in shining armor, but I can't today. Sensei assigned us a project and I figured that I might as well start it. So I'll be heading off as well, Mikado; I have to go to the library for some reference books!" Kida thumped Mikado's back slightly. "Better luck next time with Anri-chan, eh?" He turned away and began to run down the sidewalk, completely missing the slightly astonished look that flashed through Mikado's face.

"Eh?" the Dollars leader exclaimed, watching Kida's disappearing back. The blonde had seen them? Mikado was so surprised by that realization that he didn't even have a chance to say good-bye.

* * *

Kida scanned through the bookshelves of the library, already carrying a few books about Arabia. He decided that he should probably go look up some of its myths and supernatural occurrences; they wouldn't really hurt his project all that much. His teacher did want a research paper so why not include religion, creation myths, and the supernatural? Pulling out a particularly hefty, but quite old-looking, tome, to add to his current pile of books, the teenager sighed and began to walk to the check-out counter so he could borrow these books.

The librarian peered up at the blonde when he gracelessly dropped his pile onto the countertop. She frowned disapprovingly at the lack of gentleness. "A project?" she idly inquired, trying to be conversational.

Kida shot two gun fingers at her, clicking his molars, and winked. "That's right! Unfortunately, it is a research paper; I'd rather not do so much work for a simple project but if it means seeing your beautiful face again, then I would take many strides to ensure that I will return, one of them being the borrowing of these books, and the eventual returning of them!"

She stared at the teen with an expressionless face before shaking her head, taking the books and checking them out. The librarian wordlessly handed Kida back his books. "Sorry but I'm already taken," she finally spoke up, bemused. She shooed him away, ready to assist the next person in line.

Kida dramatically sighed before shifting the books in his hold. "I'll always remember your pretty face!" he called to the librarian before making his way out of the library, a slight chuckle escaping from his lips.

* * *

Kida sat in front of his computer, a pair of chopsticks in one hand, cup noodles in another hand, and a book opened up on the desk, specifically the one on the supernatural in Arabia. He picked up a bundle of noodles using the chopsticks and promptly slurped it down, idly scanning the text.

"'"Rukh is the home of souls. While we live, it is every man for them self. But when you die, all go back to one place; this is Rukh. When humans die, their bodies return to the earth don't they? The souls return to Rukh, The home of souls." —Baba.

"'Rukh can either be black or a golden yellow, which is its normal shade, or black; black Rukh is subsequently called 'Black Rukh.' Magi are able to limitlessly use Rukh to their advantage and have the ability to see them; normal people, however, generally cannot see Rukh unless enough of it has gathered in one place. To read more about Black Rukh, please refer to page 94. To read more about Magi, please refer to page 317.'" Kida idly scanned the page for further detail before flipping further.

"'Dungeons are places that mysteriously appeared all over. They take on many forms and appearances, ranging from towers to shrines. At the top of the dungeons are said to be untold treasure and wealth; however, reaching the top of the dungeon is a taxing task. Many have died in their attempts to reach the top.

"'Legend has it that within these dungeons are metal vessels, which contain Djinn. If one is to make it to the top of the dungeon, then one may be able to find the Djinn, befriend it, and obtain the ability to use its powers in combat at the cost of using magoi. Those who made it to the top of the dungeon are called 'dungeon clearers,' and they all have a metal vessel as proof of their achievement. To find out more about magoi, please go to page 113; to find out more about Djinns, please go to page 209; to find a list of those who cleared a dungeon, please go to the index- '"

Kida suddenly jerked, an image of a dagger with a strange-looking circle engraved onto its blade flashing into his mind. He nearly dropped his food in shock and whirled around, looking all over his room before shakily exhaling. "Maybe I shouldn't try to force myself to finish this project in a day," he decided, setting his unfinished food down to the side. Try as he might, however, the blonde couldn't shake off the feeling that the things that he just read and that dagger that he just saw were oddly familiar…

* * *

_He was floating in nothingness. Golden eyes opened up and restlessly scanned the vicinity, a tint of nervousness and fear evident within them. Was he alone? No... Suddenly, a burst of golden light appeared, closing in on the figure, who gasped and attempted to shield his eyes from the bright lights. Carefully, he moved his arm away from his eyes and sharply inhaled at the sight._

_There before him was a swarm of light, spiraling high. Each individual light seemed to have taken on a shape. "Are those birds?" he whispered in awe, his mind dimly supplying one word in response to this spectacle: Rukh._

_The lights suddenly dispersed before coming back together again, flying towards one general direction. The figure turned around, following the path of the Rukh, before stopping in his tracks. In front of him stood a short individual, holding what seemed to be a stick of some sorts. Try as he might, however, he could not make out any distinguishable features, besides that long braid; the light emitted from the Rukh was too dazzling, too blinding._

_Golden yellow eyes widened in recognition. Could it be…? The figure began to run towards the other figure, basked in the light of the pure Rukh. He reached out an arm, the name of the mysterious figure just on the tip of his tongue._

"_A-"_

Kida woke up with a start, his arm extended upwards towards the ceiling. He brought his hand down and rubbed his bleary eyes, grumbling in slight irritation to himself, wishing that his incessant alarm clock would just shut up already. He reached his free arm out and accidentally knocked the clock to the floor, finally quieting it. "What kind of a dream was that?" he asked himself, rolling over to his side while pulling his covers over himself, falling asleep once more.

* * *

"Agh, I'm going to be late!"

Onlookers watched on in bemusement as the blonde raced down the streets, leaving behind a trail of dust. Kida angrily grumbled to himself; he couldn't believe that he had fallen straight back asleep after practically destroying his alarm clock! Now he was really going to get it from his teacher.

On any other day, the blonde wouldn't particularly care about what his teacher thought; this wouldn't be the first time serving detention. But walking home with Mikado and Anri had become routine to Kida and he wasn't willing to actually ruin it by arriving to class tardy, all because he slept in. He sprinted through the gates of Raira Academy and ascended the steps by twos, squeezed through the closing door of the classroom, then collapsed in his seat with an exhausted puff. Kida glanced up, meeting with the disapproving stare of his teacher, and sighed to himself.

Today was going to be a slow day, wasn't it?

* * *

A sigh. Then, a sudden collapse against a nearby chair. Mikado turned to his right, blinking at the slouched over Kida. "Masaomi-kun? What's wrong?"

"Got detention with sensei tomorrow," the former gang member flippantly responded, waving his hand as if it wasn't a big deal, "I was distracted today so I haven't been paying attention in class." Kida pulled out his lunch and bit down on a mochi, thoughtfully chewing on it.

"You need to be more careful," the black-haired male sighed, "but what's on your mind?"

Kida silently chewed on his food for a moment, slowly swallowing. He couldn't just up and tell Mikado 'oh, I had a strange dream where I saw this glowing kid after I read passages on some supernatural occurrences in Arabia.' That wouldn't work well at all; the blonde can only imagine what his friend's expression would've looked like.

"Just worried about the project; it's going to interfere with my searching around Ikebukuro for beautiful women!" He opted to finally say in the end, placing the back of his head against his forehead in a histrionic manner.

"I don't know why I was expecting to hear something else from you," Mikado admitted with a slight laugh, chancing a glance at Anri. She sat at her desk, staring at the blackboard with a thoughtful expression. Kida watched this with a sly smile, downing the rest of his mochi. "Well, I'm going to go back to class. I'll see you two later!"

"O-oh. Alright!" Mikado raised a hand in farewell as the blonde pushed the chair back, stood up, and made his way back to his classroom.

* * *

"Ah, what another tiring day!"

Mikado watched with a slight smile as Kida took a few steps ahead, his arms locked into the air in a stretch. "Now that we're out of school for the day, what do you two plan to do?"

The blonde turned around, flashing a grin towards his two friends, casually walking backwards. "This may sound surprising but I might go home to work on the project. The lovely ladies of this city will just have to wait for me, Masaomi Kida!"

Anri seemed to be in a deep state of thought. "I might go home as well," she finally spoke up. Mikado seemed slightly pensive with their answers before offering a small smile.

"Well, I guess I'll head home as well. I have a few things to do anyways." Mikado's eyes dimmed slightly; what would his two friends ever do if they were to find out what he did in his usual time…? No, he shouldn't think this way. He shook his head to clear away the thoughts. "Take care Masaomi-kun, Sonohara-san!" This time, it was the Dollars leader took his leave first.

"I shall head home as well. See you tomorrow, Kida-kun." With a slight bow, the female turned around to take her leave as well.

Kida nodded in response before turning to watch the rays of the setting sun, a small frown etched onto his expression. Watching the many shades of red, orange, and yellow was reminding him of flames. Not just ordinary flames, however; flames coursing through the same dagger that he suddenly thought of last night.

He closed his eyes, imagining the dagger once more, the shape and size of it, as well as its shininess. He imagined taking his right hand and grabbing the dagger by its hilt, grasping it firmly, but not too tightly, with his fingers. Flames would burst forth from the blade of the weapon and would surround his body. And if he concentrated hard enough, the dagger would suddenly transform into a sword with an onyx-colored blade with a glowing circle infused into the blade. And if Kida looked down, his hands would be blackened with orange cracks shining through, as if it were recently dried lava. He would shift his stance into an offensive one, almost as if he were ready to take on the world.

Kida's thought was shattered when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?"

The blonde whipped around, backing away from the hand, only for his eyes to widen. Standing in front of him was Heiwajima Shizuo, Ikebukuro's strongest, and one of the most feared, men. Kida gulped slightly, shifting his position back to normal. "Oh! Nothing, really; I was planning on heading home…"

The fake blonde gave Kida an unreadable glance. "You look like you were about to go kick someone's ass," the bartender remarked, beginning to smoke a cigarette. Shizuo took a slow drag, exhaling. "You were in some weird pose." He shifted his own stance, mimicking what Kida had unwittingly done. Shizuo's right arm was extended outward slightly and his right hand clenched nothing but empty air, though Kida had a guess as to what would've actually been in that hand. Shizuo's other hand was put behind his back, above his tailbone, and clenched into a fist.

"Oh that. I was doing some research for a project of mine and I was reading about royal dueling! I guess I got carried away," the teen responded with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his head, "I'll try not to do that again while I'm out in public."

Shizuo merely took another drag from his cigarette before dropping it onto the ground, stomping on it to ensure that the lit cigarette would go out. "You better uphold that promise; you were frightening quite a few people residents out here." Kida blinked and looked around him, realizing that he indeed had frightened a few people.

"Sorry about that," the blonde sincerely repeated, "but don't worry! I won't do it again." Shizuo seemed to snort slightly.

"Good. Now go on home before night falls; it wouldn't do for you to stay out too late." The bartender walked over and clapped Kida's shoulder as light as he could before finally turning around. Sliding his hands into his pockets, Shizuo walked off.

Kida watched the other leave, rubbing his shoulder slightly with a wince; even though it seemed that the other man was holding back, it still hurt. Straightening up, he turned around to walk home also, only to walk straight into a fur-rimmed jacket.

"H-hey…!" Kida stumbled backwards, rubbing his head, looking up to glare at the person in his way, only to freeze.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Masaomi Kida, it's been a while, has it not?"

The blonde glared hatefully at the man that stood in front of him. "Izaya…" he spat out, clenching his hands into fists, "what are you doing here in Ikebukuro?"

Orihara Izaya took out his knife, picking at his fingernails with it. That one action prompted another vision to rise up in Kida's mind. A man with a long, black braid was idly playing with what seemed to be a wand with a red jewel at its tip. The name 'Judal' was beginning to form in Kida's vocal chords and he nearly spat it out, covered in venom, but was barely able to hold himself back. Who was Judal anyways?

If Izaya had noticed Kida's slight internal conflict, he made no indication that he did; however, he did eventually respond to Kida's inquiry. "Well, I am an informant, after all. I come and go wherever there's something tasty to be snatched up." He stuck the tip of his tongue out slightly as he flicked his knife, putting it away. "And what did I stumble upon? You, interacting with Shizu-chan! How very interesting." Amused red eyes flickered over to meet the piercing gaze of yellow ones. "What was that stance?"

Kida angrily pursed his lips together. "If you're an informant, then surely you can figure out the answer yourself?" he retorted, refusing to give an answer.

Izaya blinked a few times before barking in laughter, only to be abruptly cut off when a flying trashcan collided into him. He flew down the sidewalk before skidding to a stop a few ways away from Kida.

"IIIIZZZZAAAAYYAAAA!" Shizuo stomped over to the fallen male, a vending machine carried over his head.

The informant got up with a smirk, brandishing his knife. "Ah, Shizu-chan. I was wondering when you were going to notice me!"

"Shut up you flea!" the bartender looked enraged and threw his weight forward, launching the vending machine towards the black-haired male.

Izaya mockingly laughed, nimbly sidestepping the projectile, and tossed a few extra knives at Shizuo. "We'll meet again later, Kida-kun~" he sang.

" Diediediediedie!" Shizuo repeated, grabbing a nearby signpost and wrenched it from the ground, swinging it horizontally to deflect the knives. He growled angrily and took off his shades, pocketing them, before dropping the signpost to the side. The fake blonde picked up a waste disposal and hurled it towards the informant, who immediately dodged while cackling, retaliating with another salvo of knives.

Kida blanched at the fight that was unfurling before him and made a hasty retreat before he was caught in the crossfire. As he sprinted down the street, he heard the vroom of a motorcycle, as well as the faint sound of a whinnying horse. It seemed that the Black Rider was here to stop the fight between Shizuo and Izaya. Not wanting to see the results, the blonde sharply turned the corner and ran all the way back home.

* * *

The door to the apartment building slammed shut as Kida rushed in, panting and out of breath. "Oh man, trust me to have a run-in with both Shizuo and Izaya," he groaned, dragging himself over to his computer chair. The blonde flopped over on it, relaxing slightly against the back of the chair. "Good thing I saved my hide," Kida sighed in relief, dropping his bag somewhere nearby before focusing his attention back towards the book on his desk.

"'There were several different nations at that time. Some examples were Sindria, Balbadd, and the Kou Empire. The monarchy of Balbadd fell when a sole man stepped forward to incite a _coup d__'__état_: Alibaba Saluja, the third prince of Balbadd and also an illegitimate son of the king.'" He stopped perusing the lines of the book, repeating the name of the prince. "Alibaba Saluja…why does he seem familiar?"

An image of a blonde male flashed through Kida's mind as he tried to figure out why. Surprised, Kida shook his head, dispelling the image. "That's odd. It feels as if I knew this person." He decided not to think of it any longer and continued reading.

"'Alibaba Saluja traveled with many in his task to fight against the darkness that was slowly taking over the region. He went with a female of the Fanalis tribe and with a Magi, who had chosen Alibaba as the King candidate.'" This time, an image of a female with magenta hair flashed through his mind, along with the silhouette that Kida had seen in his dream last night. When he thought about the female, a name echoed through his head: Morgiana. Yet when he thought back to the silhouette, nothing came up at all. This was highly disconcerting.

Kida brought a hand up to his face, rubbing his temple slightly. "Okay, this is getting really creepy. This had never happened to me before." Shooting a suspicious gaze at the tome that was on his desk, he shut its cover and reclined backwards. "This only began when I started reading that book. I hope it's not cursed or anything…"

He groaned in dismay, leaning back to pinch the bridge of his nose. Maybe working quickly on this project wasn't a good idea after all. Kida reluctantly pushed the book aside in favor of taking out his math homework, beginning to struggle with a few problems. Why did he need to learn these trigonometry identities again?

* * *

_He was dreaming again._

_He opened his two eyes, silently marveling at the fluttering Rukh; no matter how many times he watched this spectacle, he would never tire of it. The figure shifted his gaze away from the Rukh, opting instead to look down at himself, only to take a double-take in shock._

_He wasn't wearing his normal clothes. The white sweatshirt had been replaced by some desert-styled clothing. Feeling slightly panicked, the male's two hands flew up to his ears, cupping lightly at the two earrings there. What was going on? Where was the closest mirror located? He needed to get a closer look at himself!_

_The individual turned to look back at the silhouette of the young boy who was basking in the light of the Rukh. "You know something, don't you? And I have a feeling that I'm supposed to know you. But try as I might, I can never remember your name…"_

_The boy seemed to cock his head to the side slightly, as if responding to the words of the dreamer._

_Said dreamer sighed and looked upwards, watching the rukh spiral up. "I just don't understand anything anymore."_

Kida opened his eyes with a soft gasp, groaning in dismay when he realized that his alarm clock had awoken him yet again. "This really isn't good for my health," he remarked to himself, reaching out to turn off the alarm. Running his fingers through his bed-hair, the former gang leader sighed, slinging his legs over the side of the bed. Might as well prepare himself for the day before he actually does get late to school this time around.

* * *

Mikado looked over at his friend before frowning. "Masaomi-kun, are you alright? You have bags under your eyes…"

The teen being addressed to merely laughed, shaking off his friend's worry. "I'm alright, Mikado! You should focus your attention more on Anri-chan, though, for my affection lies solely with the women of Ikebukuro!" Kida leaned over, playfully poking the other male's forehead. "Of course, you're still my best friend, so don't worry about me being stolen away, for I will always hold you dearly!"

Mikado swatted away the finger, trying to focus on eating his lunch without accidentally choking on it. "That's not something that I'm really worried about," he admitted with a smile, "since I know that we will stay as friends no matter what."

Kida stared at his friend for a moment, his expression unreadable. Why did Mikado's statement sound so foreboding, as if a huge event was to occur later on? He shook his head; better not mull over on this issue. Instead, he grinned in response, nodding. "Yeah! Well, I better get back before class resumes. Walk home without me today; I have to serve my detention, after all." He sighed slightly in dismay.

"Good luck Masaomi-kun," Mikado sympathetically responded, patting Kida's shoulder lightly, "I'll tell Sonohara-san about this. Be careful when you return home!"

"I will, Mikado!" Kida saluted in response and walked out of the classroom.

* * *

"Agh, I really don't like detention!" Kida loudly complained to the night sky as he made his way through the city. He made his way through a few crowds, mulling over to himself. "Why did sensei have to pick on me when I just happened to be zoning out?"

"Eh? It's Kida-kun! Kida!"

The blonde stopped walking and turned to face the general direction that the voice came from. There stood Karisawa Erika, who was waving an arm at Kida. "Hi Erika," he greeted, making his way over to her, "where are Walker, Saburou, and Kadota? Aren't they usually with you?"

"Oh, they're ahead at the Russian Sushi! Want to join us, Kida? I have to meet up with them; I was a bit sidetracked in looking through the BL selection," the fujoshi replied, looking slightly dreamy at the mentioning of her favored manga genre.

Kida put up a pokerface before agreeing. "Sure, I guess some sushi wouldn't hurt. It beats eating instant noodles all the time."

"Great! This way." Erika did a 180 and began to jovially walk down. Kida quickly pursued her, shoving his hands into his pocket.

"Russian Sushi, Russian Sushi…" a tall man stood in front of the intended destination, attempting to distribute his flyers.

"Simon!" Erika greeted, waving at him.

Simon turned around before smiling at the two. "Erika-san, Kida-kun. Come for some sushi, have you? Come in, come in." He stepped aside, allowing the two to step into the restaurant, which they promptly did.

"Kida-kun!" Yumasaki Walter looked slightly surprised at the additional companion. Togusa Saburou and Kadota Kyohei also looked moderately surprised by Kida's decision to join.

"Yo," Kida simply greeted, taking a seat at the free end of the table, ordering the daily special, "didn't expect to run into you guys."

"Neither did us," Kadota admitted, crossing his arms, "so what brings you out here so late at night?"

"Detention." The group of friends didn't seem to look all that surprised by that revelation. "I wasn't paying attention in class because I had a few things in mind."

"It's not about the fact that the Yellow Scarves have been increasing their activity lately, is it?" Kadota suddenly queried. Kida stiffened slightly before he cracked his chopsticks apart, using them to pick up a piece of sashimi.

"No. That's in my past." The blonde devoured the sushi without a moment's pause, realizing that he was actually quite hungry. "It's something else entirely. I plan on solving this issue on my own, however." Kida began to attack the second piece of sushi. "I know I'll get this done on my own. This time, I won't hesitate and I won't freeze in fear."

Kadota silently watched Kida before nodding, drinking from his cup of tea. Erika and Walter looked back and forth between the two. "Dotachin?"

"It's nothing, Erika. Let's just enjoy our dinner."

* * *

Kida finally entered his apartment complex once more, having eaten his fill. He set his school materials down before his gaze flickered back towards the book on his desk. The former leader made a promise, had he not? He fully intended to keep it also. With renewed resolve, the blonde made his way back to the desk and sat down, opening the book to the page that he had last left off.

"'Magi are people who have the protection of the Rukh. Unlike regular humans, Magi are able to use as much magoi as possible, even able to take such lengths as to summon a djinn from a metal vessel. However, Magi are not invincible, as even they have a limit; their amount of stamina determines how much Rukh and magoi they can use. As previously stated, Alibaba Saluja had traveled with a Magi, and was also a close friend of him. That Magi was called…'" Kida didn't have to continue reading to know who it was; everything was finally clear to him now. The name of the mysterious boy rolled off of the blonde's tongue like water.

"Aladdin…"

"That's right, Alibaba-kun!"

Startled at the additional voice, Kida swerved around on his chair, only to comically fall off with a surprised yelp. With a groan of pain, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his sore face slightly. He looked up slowly and sharply gasped at the sight. "A-Aladdin…"

There in front of him was a transparent boy, maybe around the age of twelve. He had a turban on that held up his long, blue braid, and was sitting Indian style in front of the blonde. Around his neck was a flute and in his two hands was what seemed to be a staff. The child wholeheartedly smiled, raising a hand up to wave at Kida. "Hi Alibaba-kun! It's been a while, hasn't it? Or should I call you Kida-kun now? Hm…"

Kida stared at the Magi in front of him, floundering about in an attempt to coherently formulate a sentence. "What…why…how? Aladdin, what's going on?" He shifted his position so he, too, was sitting Indian style, "surely you know, right?"

"Of course I do!" Aladdin cheerfully replied, setting his staff down beside him, "after all, I did make that wish that allowed this to happen?"

"Wish?" the other male echoed, looking mildly intrigued. The Magi nodded in response.

"That's right! I wished that you would be reincarnated so that you could live a new and better life. But…it seems that your life isn't exactly as great as I had hoped it to be."

Kida shifted forward, his eyes softening. "No, Aladdin, I'm actually quite content with my current life. It's just that I've made a lot of wrong decisions that caused me to feel all of these mixed feelings, regret, and self-loathing." He paused. "I need not explain why, I'm assuming. Have you been watching me this whole time?"

"Yep! You're still my best friend, Alibaba-kun, even if you're now Masaomi Kida!"

The blonde couldn't help but to smile at the sincerity of his friend. "Thanks Aladdin. You've helped me so much in my past life and in this life, though I guess it was indirectly. Nevertheless, you did a lot for me. I never did repay you for helping me so much."

"Alibaba-kun, we're friends. There's no need to pay me back for my decision to help you. It was something that I chose on my own," the child seriously remarked, suddenly looking a lot more mature, "and if you wanted to pay me back for what I did, well…just remember what I've told you. I saw you as a hero, remember, back in Amon's dungeon. And that definitely still abides for your current lifestyle. I know that you've made a few incorrect decisions and judgments but that's okay! We're all human; we've all done this.

"That's why I want you to never lose hope in yourself. You'll find a way to turn everything around. You'll make the right decision and you'll help all of your friends! And maybe you'll even be able to save Ikebukuro in the future. Who knows? I'm just a Magi who had passed away…" Aladdin quieted down, shifting his gaze to the window. He forlornly watched the city lights, musing quietly to himself.

Kida took a moment to absorb what he had heard, realizing that his friend was right, yet again. "You're right, Aladdin. I've been so angry at myself for my naïveté that I've blinded myself to the whole outside world. I need to pick myself up again and make my decision soon, or else Ikebukuro is going to be in deep trouble."

"That's the spirit!" the blue-haired child exclaimed happily, turning back to face the blonde teen. He grinned wildly, "I know you can do it, Alibaba-kun." Rukh suddenly began to swarm around Aladdin's body. "Oh, looks like it's time for me to go."

Kida looked torn. "A-already? But it's been so long since we last saw each other…" The blonde shifted over, embracing his old friend, mildly surprised when his arms didn't go through the translucent body of the other.

"Yeah, I know," the other responded with a tint of sadness, "but this spell I created was designed to only allow me to speak with you for a moment after you remembered everything. And since I was pulled out of the afterlife to see you, I guess you do remember, right?"

Of course he did. The former leader of the Yellow Scarves remembered all of his friends and enemies that he met during his travels. He remembered the Fanalis, Morgiana. He remembered the king, Sinbad, and his two companions, Jafar and Masfur. He remembered the beautiful waters of Balbadd after the monarchy had been abolished.

And, of course, he remembered the Kou Empire. The long and bitter conflict had finally been resolved but it had taken quite a bit of time. Many lives had been lost and lots of blood had been shed. A war had been inevitable in the end. But they had succeeded, had they not?

"Of course, Aladdin." A pause. "Is everyone else waiting for you?"

"Mhm! Mor-san misses you quite a bit, Alibaba-kun. But I'm sure that everyone else does too, even Judal, though he will never admit something like that." The swarm of Rukh began to quicken their flight. "I guess this means farewell, huh? I'll miss you, Alibaba-kun, but I'll still be there to look after you!" Aladdin gave his old friend one last hug before he pulled away, tearing off his Flying Turban and hopping onto it. "Ja ne!" The Magi gave Kida a dazzling grin before commanding the Rukh to take him home.

The blonde scrambled to his feet and rushed to the window, watching Aladdin fly to the sky, guided by the hundreds of Rukh that were following. Kida continued to watch the Magi's departure until he could no longer see the other. "Until next time, Aladdin," he finally said to the empty night sky, before finally pulling away from the window.

There was a research paper to complete.

* * *

He was walking home after another day of school; the former gang leader had handed in his research paper early, much to the surprise of his teacher. But Kida couldn't bring himself to care anymore; reading the passages on his old hometown was making him feel lonely and tired.

He missed his old friends.

That feeling wasn't prevalent before but after speaking to Aladdin once again, the teen realized just how much he missed his friend. Too bad they weren't reincarnated along with him.

But then again, if he thought about it, the others wouldn't be happy with being reincarnated. They seemed to be satisfied with their previous life and even if they weren't, they bore no wish to come back to life. Kida can respect that much from them. He wasn't that selfish, after all.

"Er, Masaomi-kun?" Kida turned around to face the source of the tentative inquiry: Mikado. "Is something wrong? You seem rather quiet today…"

The blonde blinked a few times, dispelling his feeling of slight loneliness, then promptly flashed a grin at his friend. He sauntered over, slinging an arm around Mikado's shoulder. "What's this? Is Mikado concerned for me? Oh, but you shouldn't! What of poor Anri-chan? She'll begin to think that you've fallen for me!" Kida paused for a bit. "…unless you _have_ fallen for me! Oh, Mikado, how naughty of you!"

The Dollars leader turned a bright red. "N-no! That's not it at all!" he protested, "i-it's just that you're never this quiet! We've even passed by a few women that you would normally try to hit on-"

"What? We must turn around right now so I can sweep those lovely ladies off of their feet! Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Masaomi…" Mikado refrained from sighing in exasperation. He chanced a glance at Anri, who seemed to be hiding a small smile. Kida noticed this action and nudged his friend slightly, giving Mikado a teasing grin. He then pulled away from his friend to lightly shove the Dollars leader over towards the female. While the black-haired male stumbled away with a yelp of surprise, the blonde stopped walking, looking upwards into the sky; he could've sworn that he saw some Rukh fly by. With a forlorn smile, Kida tore his gaze away and continued walking with his two friends, a sole thought evident in his mind.

'_Thanks for everything, Aladdin.'_

* * *

**A/N:** And it's done! Phew, this was the longest fic that I've actually written. Granted, it really wasn't all that much but I'm not the best writer out there. This isn't beta'd so there are probably a few mistakes here and there.

I'd like to see your opinions about this piece; constructive criticism is a must if authors want to improve, after all!

Other than that, I hope that you enjoyed this read.


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